Restoration
by Churnok
Summary: Raven Darkholme is offered her old powers and a new life.


**Restoration**

**By Churnok**

Disclaimer

Mystique and Magneto are the copyright of Marvel and Fox and are used here for non-profit entertainment purposes only. Beacon and the multi-dimensional organization he works for, along with their powers, technology and abilities are my creation but I've tried to design them so that anyone can use them as long as they send me a copy of the resulting story. Permission is given to anyone who wants to archive this story as long as they let me know first and give me a link to their site. I welcome any comments, questions, and/or constructive criticisms. Warning; a little less nudity than in the X-Men movies.

Raven Darkholme entered her apartment, locked the door, and began to strip off her hated clothes. When she had been a mutant she could make her body form whatever clothes she needed, she could take almost any form she desired. But now, since she had taken a dart meant for Magneto and was "cured" she was trapped in one form and had to actually wear the suffocating garments instead of forming them. She hated it but what choice did she have? Going about naked was no longer an option outside her own apartment because she needed the garments to keep her warm.

She was half undressed when she noticed the stranger in business casual attire sitting in an equally out of place recliner, calmly sipping what smelled like hot chocolate from a coffee mug decorated with a squirrel's wanted poster. "Please continue what you were doing Miss Darkholme," he said as if this was just business as usual. "I can only guess how uncomfortable clothes are for you, and I wish for you to be as comfortable as possible while we talk." He set his mug down on thin air and laced his fingers together on his lap.

"Who are you?" Raven demanded, keeping her pants on but making no move to cover her breasts. Nudity didn't bother her even trapped in this form, but she wasn't going strip for an intruder. "How did you get in here?

"My name would mean nothing to you, but since I plan to guide you to a new life you can call me Beacon. As for how I and my chair got into your apartment without being seen, well I'm afraid that I can't tell you without giving you more information than I'm currently authorized to provide. Let's just call it a small demonstration of what the people I represent can do."

"What do you want with me?"

"You had certain natural talents that we can use. We can restore your talents in return for you coming to work for us."

A part of Raven wanted to jump at the chance of getting her powers back, but she had been betrayed before. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "What would I have to do?"

"Gather information mostly, and train some of our agents in the skills that don't require your mutant ability if you want to."

"And if I decide I want to quit?"

"Then we would allow you to do so," he stated simply.

"After stripping me of my powers and probably wiping my mind somehow of course."

Beacon looked appalled at the idea, "of course not my dear, on that you have my word. The powers we give you will be yours to keep, and our rules forbid us from tampering with the minds of anyone who has been a member for even a short period of time. We would give you a generous severance package, and allow you to live on whatever world you wanted with powers and memory untouched."

She held up a hand, "wait a minute, what did you mean by world?"

"Dimension, timeline, reality, whichever term suits you," then he realized his error and held his hand over his mouth, "oh dear. I wasn't supposed to say anything about that."

"You can travel to multiple realities?"

"Among other things," he said humbly.

"So what do you need me for?'

He sighed and sipped his hot chocolate, "Entering them is one thing, Blending in is sometimes quite another. Not every world we see has humans as the sentient species and even with those that have humans it isn't often easy to enter the culture. Infiltration is one of your specialties. Shape-shifting merely augments it."

"But why me? Surly there must be other shape-shifters who can infiltrate these dimensions?"

"Why not you?" he countered calmly. "You have the skills, with the help of my associates you can soon regain your power, not to mention your lovely blue skin, and you have nothing to hold you here."

"So just because I'm in a slump You think I'll Just leave with whoever waves something shiny in front of me?"

"My dear lady you insult both your intelligence and ours. You have skills we need. We have a way to give you back what you sacrificed to save Magneto. All we ask is that you give us a chance. If you find that you don't like the job you are free to leave with your restored powers, a generous severance package, and no hard feelings. You even have the option of remaining here while under our employ." He gave the low rent apartment a critical eye. A large cockroach scurried by and was suddenly crushed as if by its own weight. "Though I can assure you that we can provide much better living accommodations. I n fact, you don't have to return to this world ever again."

"What's the catch?"

"Ah, I thought you might ask that." Beacon finished his chocolate and set the mug aside. "The 'catch' is nothing unreasonable, just that you obey the rules while working for the organization. The same rules apply to everyone with no exception and I'm sure you'll find them to be fair."

She sat down in her own recliner, a well used and rather sad looking thing that she had gotten from Goodwill because she liked the feel of the fabric on her skin. "Alright Mr. Beacon. I'll sign up on one condition. After I get my powers back I want to visit an old friend."

Beacon smiled, "Splendid Miss Darkholme, or should I call you Mystique?"

In a city park a woman in a trench coat and wide brimmed hat walked over to an old man sitting alone at a chess table. "Hello Eric," she said as she sat down.

The man once feared as Magneto looked up from the chessboard and smiled sadly. "Mystique my dear, how kind of you to come by. How did you ever find me?"

"I've made some new friends since the last time we saw each other," she replied.

"Ah yes, the government probably does keep track of me even thought I've been stripped of my birthright. I realize now that I shouldn't have abandoned you to them. After all, you sacrificed yourself for me."

"No you shouldn't have. But my new friends are not associated with the government, and I wouldn't have bothered to find you if they hadn't been able to undo the mistake I made that day."

Eric frowned, "what do you mean?"

"I never should've taken that dart for you," she said coldly, "but I loved you then, and I thought you loved me. We both lost pieces of ourselves during that whole business with the 'cure.'" Her eyes turned yellow. "Thanks to my new employer I've gotten back part of what I lost."

Eric recoiled in shock. Then that shock turned to hope. "You mean… they can undo this curse?"

"Yes, but only for me," she lied, her voice filled with false sadness, "you see, I only received a small dose of the cure, while you received a much larger one."

He grabbed he sleeve and begged, "Please, tell them I'll submit to any test they want! If they can just restore a fraction of my power I'll work for them the rest of my life!"

The sleeve flowed free of his desperate vice grip like water as Mystique's face changed into that of Magneto's on the day he abandoned her. In his own voice she said, "I'm sorry my dear. You're not one of us anymore." She stood up casually and strode away, careful to hide her satisfied expression until he could no longer see it. By the time he had recovered enough to chase after her she had already disappeared behind a tree. Never to show any face in his world again.


End file.
